Not all those who wander are lost.

Tag Archives: Whimsical

Gwyneth handled the wand-waving, but I, The Author, finally took a bit of Awenia and wove it in to my own personal dimension, which, like the rest of Awenia— The Great Awenia Forest and Awenia Faerie— will be open to everyone for the month of December.

Haven is a place to hang out with friends, maybe see some pretty things, and a nice quiet spot somewhere in Awenia’s uncharted space just to be.

A little pocket Realm

A little pocket Realm, tucked somewhere within Awenia, Haven is a little like a house museum, in that it’s my home, but I’m opening it to people this month. The sparkly glowing dance floor might even have some events going on; I’ll try to post these as and when they happen, and of course if you’re a member of the Awenia Friends group in-world, you’ll receive updates anyway.

The House Island

Awenia is built inside a so-simple-it’s-brilliant skybox from Landscapes Unlimited. It’s called a Mirrorbox. It doesn’t show up all that well in these photographs since they’re mostly of buildings, but as new photos of Awenia are released, you might begin to see what I think is so cool about this skybox. I used too many wonderful things even to begin listing all of them for this post, but at some point I’ll make an inventory for you and codify everything that’s here, at least in Haven. All the buildings are from Trompe Loeill, the big birch trees are from Balderdash, the Illuminated Oak is from Heart (front left) and Rivendale made the lovely Juniper Tree (front centre, green foliage). That covers all the trees you can see in this photo except the swing, which is from Dictatorshop.

Take a peek?

Here’s a little peek inside my front window; again, too many things to detail them all here, but the porch furniture is from Trompe Loeill, and I did much of this decorating around the time that Apple Fall had that amazing 75% off sale…. yeah.

A bridge and a barn

The three islands are linked via these bridges from The Looking Glass, the Dawn’s Promise Bridges that were released at the 2017 Fantasy Faire. The barn holds my personal vanity gallery of my favourite photos and pictures I’ve made since getting serious about SL photography a few years ago.

Sparkly dance floor!

I put the sparkly dance floor together so my favourite tame DJs, DJ Fae and of course Nyza Stillwater, could spin to their hearts’ content. Tiny Gwyneth is there to show you that you don’t fall into the water, even if you do not have wings!

This is Gwyneth’s tired face

Above you can see Gwyneth’s actual tired face! This is how she feels when she’s been dealing with me creating my own little thing in the middle of her Realm.

She would like me to let you know that the stunning headdress she is wearing is from Noble Creations. It’s called the Nymph Crown and you can get it at Whimsical, any time before December 18.

So much of my life seems to be occurring in dreams right now. It may just be that I’m not as willing to go out and make a new land as I was last time. I miss My King Janus more than I admit. But I must accept that he, like Maric, like so many others, is lost to me. I hope all these losses I’m experiencing will make me very wise and worthy of my office when I grow older. I hope they will.

I have been spending a lot of time in my little garden with the swans. Nathaniel has been busy with Mysthaven Business, which I try not to get involved in, since we mash things up enough as it is.

I remember walking through a sparse wood.

I remember walking through a sparse wood. I had a snow-covered track to walk on, an day feet didn’t feel cold at all. Eventually, I realised the trees must be growing out of some kind of ice: everything reflected blue and smooth around them.

Then, I saw colours other than white, blue, and the green and silver of the birches: up ahead was what might have been a church ruin perhaps? I imagined I could learns something there, find something out.

And there were flowers, summer flowers. How odd.

And there were flowers, summer flowers. How odd. When I reached the intersection, I debated whether or not to ascend either of the two flights of stairs, but opted to go straight on after a little bit of thought.

A series of beautiful lamps—or I assume they were lamps, for they were unlit—lined the side paths.

A series of beautiful lamps—or I assume they were lamps, for they were unlit—lined the side paths. I touched one of them, and the crystal was warm against my skin, but I could find no way to illuminate it. Perhaps they were just decorative.

I made my way to the centre of the structure, where candles burned.

I made my way to the centre of the structure, where candles burned. Over my head were a series of small lamps shaped like cathedrals. The flowers felt alive and warm against my ankles.

And I read the inscription:

Here is a place of serenity
The lights below flicker with love
For those who fight
And for those who have faded into night
Find here amenity
The lights flicker below
And twinkle above

So it was some kind of memorial. And I did feel peaceful, calm.

I began to notice little details.

I began to notice little details: the marbling of the granite, the texture and pattern of the window-panels. Even then, the snow didn’t feel cold against my exposed toes. Even as close as three years ago, I’d have stopped to sketch at least some of this, but now I’m confident enough in my memory, and its ability to impress images onto the little tablet computer I keep locked up in a YWCA locker in a land more convinced that magic and technology coincide a bit than Our Wylds.

I turned and ascended the stairs behind me, and almost immediately felt that dizzying sense of transformation that accompanies a scene change in dreams.

When I reached the top, I held a hand out to catch the staff that seemed to be thrown at me.

When I reached the top, I held a hand out to catch the staff that seemed to have been thrown at me. I felt lighter, felt my hair fall down my back, felt the tightness of a dress I might have worn during my I’m a fairy, so what? phase (or at least that’s what I call that phase).

And then, I felt inclined to dance.

And then, I felt inclined to dance.

And dance…

And dance…

And dance.

And dance.

When I’d finished, I felt … empty.

When I’d finished, I felt empty. Like weeping. As if this were a safe place for me to let all my tears and sorrow and longings out in tears.

I admit it: I fell to the floor in a sobbing heap.

I admit it: I fell to the floor in a sobbing heap.

I’m not sure how long after that I woke, in my own bed, feeling more refreshed from a night of sleep than I have in ages.